“Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps.” Proverbs 14:15 NLT
Ah the tale of the pethi and the prudent. “Pethiy” is one of the Hebrew words for the simple, the fool. The second most often used word for “fool.” It is used 15 times in Proverbs and represents the silly, seducible or simple.
I feel I play this role far too often when it comes to hearing people share their story … er, their truth. I believe people. I believe in people. I want to believe everything they tell me, because I want to like them and get to know them. Maybe that makes me gullible? Maybe even susceptible to gossip with its dainty morsels of truth wrapped in unsavory untruths.
The colloquial sayings are helpful for me. Like, “there are two sides to every coin,” or “two sides to every story.” Being very relational, I easily get caught up in one person’s version of a truth, a position or story. And, admittedly, I believe it wholeheartedly. Until, I hear the other person’s version and realize the truth is blurry and they definitively do not match! Yes, of course, this mostly happens in disagreements or conflicts, between couples or friends. You know what’s hard? You realize there’s truth in BOTH stories, hidden in there somewhere in the middle.
Prudence, defined as shrewd, crafty sensibility, says that I need both sides of a story, or an opinion of a situation to find out what really happened. I’m sure the wisdom writers intent and application of this proverb are not at all about refereeing or conflict management, but it is helpful for me to sort out being wise or playing the fool.
The proverb is likely instructing those who blunder forward in naive believability without the cautious steps of decision-making. But remember, the general rules of fools and “seduction” still apply. Definitely remember the point of this proverb – beware of slick sales techniques and skipping steps to lazily take the shortcut to any idea or project.
But, in relationship management, I must remember the side benefit of this wisdom principle as well, get two sides of a story before making a judgment or decision. And, I also discovered this caveat in relational squabbles, “the first one to spin the story has the advantage, but it’s not always the whole truth!”
Prayer
Dad,
This whole discussion on foolishness and wisdom has me reflecting on Psalm 139:14, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” I love that you have made us incalculably and extraordinarily distinct from each other and anything else in your creation. However, I also have to constantly admit, we are quite a mysterious piece of work. I marvel at the levels of complexity that our sin has introduced into such a masterpiece. The Psalmist declare how marvelous we are and “how well he knows it.” I don’t think we know ourselves well at all! We need your wisdom. We need your constant guidance and exquisite mercy on this journey through life. I love the idea that your thoughts and ways are far above our own! But I am continuously baffled by the fact that we can’t quite figure our own thoughts and ways! To know you and to be known by you is our only hope! God, help us 🥴.